TEACHER Caroline Pfohl
(Our) Awakened nature is open, radiant and responsive. We discover it within – through the practice of somatic meditation, and we discover it without – through the elements of the natural world.
Through the practices, we experience an inner landscape and an outer landscape that are interconnected and utterly sacred. We gradually shed layers of conditioning, letting go of everything that is not truly who we are, and exposing the awakened state – the radiant wisdom and compassion at the core of our being – that allows us to be of true benefit to everyone and everything around us.
As we love and nurture ourselves, so we love and nurture our world.
Registration for Radiant Nature is now open. If you want to start your registration process, please click the button above. This program is best suited to practitioners familiar with the teachings of Dharma Ocean, or experience in another Buddhist meditative tradition. If you have little experience with Dharma Ocean’s somatic teachings this is a good place to start:
Foundation of the Posture of Pure Awareness - Caroline Pfohl, Our Basic Nature, Sangsurya Retreat Center, Australia, 2024
You might also like to explore the Introductory Resources on this website before the retreat.
The program will include:
- Sitting, walking and lying down meditation – sitting sessions are generally 45 minutes, alternating with shorter periods of walking and lying meditation
- Meditative movement – qigong and lujong
- Practices outside and in nature
- Dharma talks and group conversations
- Opportunities to reflect on the teachings and practices in dyads or small groups
- Deep rest
About the teacher
Caroline Pfohl is Spiritual Director of the Dharma Ocean Foundation and Co-Lineage Holder, along with Reggie Ray, of the Dharma Ocean lineage. For 17 years, Caroline has trained and partnered with Reggie to develop the somatic tantric path offered by Dharma Ocean.
Brought up in a contemplative Catholic family, Caroline deepened her early interest in spirituality by gaining an experiential understanding of Daoism and Chan Buddhism during two decades of living in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and China.
She also leads the Hemera Foundation, dedicated to the support of modern Buddhism, spiritual innovation and secular contemplative approaches to education and wellbeing.
The practice of silence
There will be significant periods of silence during this retreat. The practice of silence provides a respite from the communication demands of daily life and the habitual patterns we develop to cope with those demands. In silence, we can relax to deeper levels, providing space for interoception to deepen. We can listen to our somatic experience, building the capacity to open without reservation to everything we feel and know, and so aligning with our natural state.
The practice of silence extends beyond verbal communication, so we ask that you refrain from reading, writing and journaling unless guided to do so by the teacher.
Electronics
In order to experience the natural state without distraction, we ask that you refrain from using electronics, including phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops etc. during the retreat, unless they are necessary for health reasons. Program staff will be happy to hold and safeguard your devices for the duration of the retreat if this is helpful to you.
Retreat Center
The retreat will take place at the Seminarhaus Stiersbach in Oberrot, Germany.
This venue is beautifully located in the Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald (Svabian-Franconian Forest) in the South of Germany. You’ll receive more information about how to travel and what to bring after your registration.
Costs
We would like to make this retreat as affordable as possible for everyone who wants to attend. To support this on our side, Caroline will not receive a teacher’s fee and will cover her own travel expenses. On your side, we ask that all of you who are in a position to do so, please contribute to the retreat center fees of others, and/or offer dana to help with general program expenses.
This is why we offer a three tier payment system for the tuition fee.
You can also choose from different room types. Prices for accommodation and food range from 518 € (tent) to 805 € (single room with bath) for 7 nights and vegetarian full board. You can choose your favorite options after you’ve completed registration.
In addition, we are able to provide some financial support for those in need. If you would like to be considered, please write to katja@dharmaocean.org with your circumstances.
Registration Process
Registration is a two-step process.
- The first step is to choose the tuition fees payment option that best suits your needs and finish the payment process. You will prompted to create a Dharma Ocean account. If you already have one please log in beforehand.
- Registrants will receive an email with detailed travel instructions, privacy and other policies needing signatures, and further information.
- This email also includes a questionnaire where you can choose your room preferences, register for shuttle service and tell us a bit about your meditation experience.
- Preceding the retreat you will receive an invoice from the retreat center for your accommodation choice, which is the second step. This should be paid in advance by bank transfer before the retreat starts.
Image credit: Kilian Schoenberger
